Based on the recipe from Dan and Claire's Cooking Disaster Index. See guys, I tried to follow a recipe (tried really hard).
Ingredients
3/4 c. lentils (brown)
4 packets bullion and 2.5 c. water
2 carrots (chopped)
2 onions (chopped)
1 tin tomatoes (the small size)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 tsp. oil
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. turmeric
Salt (to taste)
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
Methodology
1. As in the other recipe, put the lentils, carrots, onions, garlic, and tomatoes in a pot and add 3 packets of bullion and 1.5 c. water (I'm assuming you're using powdered bullion. If you're not, just make 1.5 c. of stock and put that in). Bring it to a boil, then turn it down and let it simmer for a while. Perhaps now would be a good time to make some chapati.
2. Heat the oil and the spices in another pan for about a minute. Add salt. Put aside.
3. When the lentils are cooked, turn off the burner. Put half the soup in a bowl and blend it (I use an immersion blender, which works well for getting the chunks out without destroying the texture of the lentils).
4. Add the blended soup back into the main pot. Put in the oil and spices, another packet of bullion, and another cup of water. Mix. Put it back on the heat and warm it up if needed. Enjoy!
Notes
*Also super easy. I did it this way because I have only two pots (a small one and a big one) which made it difficult to do both this and the chapati simultaneously (I needed the wok to cook the bread). But it came out really well.
*If you make 5 servings, only 90 calories/serving. Wow!
*This and the chapati get 1/7 on the disaster scale. I'm awesome (and so are Dan and Claire, who came up with the original. Thanks, guys!)
30 December 2007
Chapati bread
Based on the recipe here and the methodology here.
Ingredients
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. oil (I used garlic oil I picked up at the Asian grocery store)
about 1/2 c. hot water, as needed
Methodology
1. Put the flour and salt in a bowl and make a well in the center; put the oil and about 1/4 c. of water in the well and mix it, adding more water as needed until you get dough. Put a little oil in the bowl and put the bread in, then cover it and leave it sit for about 30-40 min.
2. Cut into 4 pieces and roll out with a floured rolling pin until fairly thin. Rub both sides with oil.
3. Put a bit of oil in a wok or on a grill and wipe it around, then heat the wok and put the bread in. Wait until it is brown on one side, then turn it. It will puff up. Yay. When done, eat or put in a warm oven (wrapped in foil) until you're ready to eat it.
Notes
*With garlic oil (approximately 10 calories/tablespoon), the bread has about 125 calories/piece.
*This was super easy to make and delicious. Takes a bit longer to cook than you'd think, but you don't need to hover over it.
Ingredients
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. oil (I used garlic oil I picked up at the Asian grocery store)
about 1/2 c. hot water, as needed
Methodology
1. Put the flour and salt in a bowl and make a well in the center; put the oil and about 1/4 c. of water in the well and mix it, adding more water as needed until you get dough. Put a little oil in the bowl and put the bread in, then cover it and leave it sit for about 30-40 min.
2. Cut into 4 pieces and roll out with a floured rolling pin until fairly thin. Rub both sides with oil.
3. Put a bit of oil in a wok or on a grill and wipe it around, then heat the wok and put the bread in. Wait until it is brown on one side, then turn it. It will puff up. Yay. When done, eat or put in a warm oven (wrapped in foil) until you're ready to eat it.
Notes
*With garlic oil (approximately 10 calories/tablespoon), the bread has about 125 calories/piece.
*This was super easy to make and delicious. Takes a bit longer to cook than you'd think, but you don't need to hover over it.
24 December 2007
Ginger Fudge
In which I set nothing on fire.
Ok, yes. I made up this recipe based on the last fudge experiment which I admit did not turn out quite right - the top layer didn't set up quite and the bottom layer was a bit hard. So back to the drawing board.
Ingredients
2 bags semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tin (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (I used Ong Tho because I was at an Asian food store undergoing a fit of nostalgia while I was buying it. I think this is less sweet than the typical American stuff. Also in Vietnam they sell low fat Ong Tho, which would have been great here, but they didn't have any at the store.)
1/2 c. marshmallow fluff (I feel dirty just typing that, but you need some corn syrup and I didn't want to actually own corn syrup so this has it in it. Does that make sense? Probably not. Sorry.)
1 box (~ 200g) candied ginger (you can find this at an Asian grocery store, which is why I happened to be there. It will be easier to find around Chinese New Year/Tet, so in late January-mid February, because dried fruits are very popular at that time of year; if you were feeling really daring and could find it, candied lotus root would also be good to add in to the mix.)
1/4 c. skim milk (approx.)
1 tsp. vanilla
a pinch of salt
spices to taste: cinnamon, Cayenne pepper, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, etc.
Methodology
1. If, like me, you have little strips of ginger, chop them into reasonable sized pieces. Put in a bowl and set aside. Cover 2 round 9" cake pans (or whatever) with tin foil and spray the tin foil with cooking spray.
2. Put the condensed milk and the chips in a pan over low heat. As they melt, stir in the marshmallow, the skim milk, the vanilla, the spices. Still stirring, bring it to a boil.
3. When it boils, turn off the heat and stop stirring. Count to 20 or something until it has stopped boiling and then stir in the ginger. Divide the mixture into the two pans, smooth the top, and put it in the fridge for two hours.
4. Cut and enjoy, or put back in the fridge to worry about.
Notes
*Initially I was too scared to estimate the number of calories. Then I figured out if I cut it into 40 pieces, it would be 130 calories/pc. Not too bad. But then when I cut it, I actually cut it into about 120 pieces, at about 50 calories per piece. The advantage and disadvantage of using a round pan is that at the edges the pieces are a bit smaller, so this is an average. Also when you're transferring the fudge to a container it's very tempting to eat the small bits from the edges.
*I will totally someday soon stop with this baking binge. At least from New Year's to Lupercalia, I promise. As it is, this is getting kind of dire. I've started stalking people primarily because if they're home I can give them baked goods to get rid of them.
*Most of the fudge is destined for Claire's family in St. Paul, as are the cupcakes I'm going to make tomorrow. Next year I'm going to find a boyfriend who celebrates this damn holiday so I'm not left up to my own devices for this long. Goddamn.
*The fudge came out pretty good - not too firm, but with a certain tensile strength. Next time I'm going to use an actual candy thermometer and it will be better.
Ok, yes. I made up this recipe based on the last fudge experiment which I admit did not turn out quite right - the top layer didn't set up quite and the bottom layer was a bit hard. So back to the drawing board.
Ingredients
2 bags semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tin (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (I used Ong Tho because I was at an Asian food store undergoing a fit of nostalgia while I was buying it. I think this is less sweet than the typical American stuff. Also in Vietnam they sell low fat Ong Tho, which would have been great here, but they didn't have any at the store.)
1/2 c. marshmallow fluff (I feel dirty just typing that, but you need some corn syrup and I didn't want to actually own corn syrup so this has it in it. Does that make sense? Probably not. Sorry.)
1 box (~ 200g) candied ginger (you can find this at an Asian grocery store, which is why I happened to be there. It will be easier to find around Chinese New Year/Tet, so in late January-mid February, because dried fruits are very popular at that time of year; if you were feeling really daring and could find it, candied lotus root would also be good to add in to the mix.)
1/4 c. skim milk (approx.)
1 tsp. vanilla
a pinch of salt
spices to taste: cinnamon, Cayenne pepper, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, etc.
Methodology
1. If, like me, you have little strips of ginger, chop them into reasonable sized pieces. Put in a bowl and set aside. Cover 2 round 9" cake pans (or whatever) with tin foil and spray the tin foil with cooking spray.
2. Put the condensed milk and the chips in a pan over low heat. As they melt, stir in the marshmallow, the skim milk, the vanilla, the spices. Still stirring, bring it to a boil.
3. When it boils, turn off the heat and stop stirring. Count to 20 or something until it has stopped boiling and then stir in the ginger. Divide the mixture into the two pans, smooth the top, and put it in the fridge for two hours.
4. Cut and enjoy, or put back in the fridge to worry about.
Notes
*Initially I was too scared to estimate the number of calories. Then I figured out if I cut it into 40 pieces, it would be 130 calories/pc. Not too bad. But then when I cut it, I actually cut it into about 120 pieces, at about 50 calories per piece. The advantage and disadvantage of using a round pan is that at the edges the pieces are a bit smaller, so this is an average. Also when you're transferring the fudge to a container it's very tempting to eat the small bits from the edges.
*I will totally someday soon stop with this baking binge. At least from New Year's to Lupercalia, I promise. As it is, this is getting kind of dire. I've started stalking people primarily because if they're home I can give them baked goods to get rid of them.
*Most of the fudge is destined for Claire's family in St. Paul, as are the cupcakes I'm going to make tomorrow. Next year I'm going to find a boyfriend who celebrates this damn holiday so I'm not left up to my own devices for this long. Goddamn.
*The fudge came out pretty good - not too firm, but with a certain tensile strength. Next time I'm going to use an actual candy thermometer and it will be better.
22 December 2007
Sweet Potato and Thai Eggplant Curry
I am a clever enough monkey to recognize that baking when I'm bored + everyone out of town for the hols is not a good combination, so I restrained myself and made curry instead.
I know, right?
Ingredients
4 Thai eggplants
about 2 sweet potatoes
1 block firm (Chinese) tofu (about 8 oz)
red curry paste
1 tin coconut cream*
salt/pepper/etc.
oil and garlic
Methodology
1. Chop veg and tofu into appealing-sized pieces. Heat oil and garlic in wok.
2. Add tofu to pan. Toss a little to coat in oil, then let it sit. This is apparently the key to browning the damn stuff; this guy B. showed me the technique the other day. I have been cooking tofu for years and my, let's call it "short attention span" has apparently been working against me. Who knew?
3. Add coconut cream and curry paste (to taste, at least a couple of tablespoons). As it begins to boil, dump in the veg.
4. Cover it and let it cook, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are cooked. Depending on the curry paste you may need to add salt, pepper, and a tablespoon or so of (brown) sugar.
5. Serve over rice.
Notes
I had this great green curry with Thai eggplants, snake beans, and basil in Laos and I've been trying to recreate it. Making it with a) red curry and b) sweet potatoes isn't exactly the way to do that, but it was good nevertheless. Next time I will wait a bit before adding the eggplants (like when the sweet potatoes are about halfway done) because they got a bit mushy.
2/7 on the disaster index.
*It's called "nuoc cot dua" in Vietnamese. I was shopping at an Asian import store. But seriously, it's better than coconut milk I think. This is the stuff you need.
I know, right?
Ingredients
4 Thai eggplants
about 2 sweet potatoes
1 block firm (Chinese) tofu (about 8 oz)
red curry paste
1 tin coconut cream*
salt/pepper/etc.
oil and garlic
Methodology
1. Chop veg and tofu into appealing-sized pieces. Heat oil and garlic in wok.
2. Add tofu to pan. Toss a little to coat in oil, then let it sit. This is apparently the key to browning the damn stuff; this guy B. showed me the technique the other day. I have been cooking tofu for years and my, let's call it "short attention span" has apparently been working against me. Who knew?
3. Add coconut cream and curry paste (to taste, at least a couple of tablespoons). As it begins to boil, dump in the veg.
4. Cover it and let it cook, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are cooked. Depending on the curry paste you may need to add salt, pepper, and a tablespoon or so of (brown) sugar.
5. Serve over rice.
Notes
I had this great green curry with Thai eggplants, snake beans, and basil in Laos and I've been trying to recreate it. Making it with a) red curry and b) sweet potatoes isn't exactly the way to do that, but it was good nevertheless. Next time I will wait a bit before adding the eggplants (like when the sweet potatoes are about halfway done) because they got a bit mushy.
2/7 on the disaster index.
*It's called "nuoc cot dua" in Vietnamese. I was shopping at an Asian import store. But seriously, it's better than coconut milk I think. This is the stuff you need.
19 December 2007
Curried Tofu with Sweet Potatoes
An experiment in failures of communication when buying groceries.
Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes, washed, peeled, chopped
1 block tofu, drained and cut into pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 T. curry paste, (Indian curry paste not Thai)
salt and pepper
2 c. brown rice
5 c. water
some oil and garlic
Methodology
1. Put rice and 4 cups of water in a pot and start that. Do all the chopping.
2. Heat oil and garlic in pan (I use a wok, because that's what I own.) Add the onion and let it cook for a bit, then add in the tofu. After that starts to brown, add the sweet potato and curry paste. Mix. Add one cup of water and cover.
3. Wait, stirring occasionally, until everything is cooked. Add salt and pepper as desired.
4. Eat.
Notes
We bought way too much stuff and actually cut up 4 sweet potatoes and a large onion, so the quantities are approximate. If I'd put in about a tablespoon of brown sugar it would have been better...also might be worth adding a jigger of soy sauce. Still, pretty good. I'd guess with rice it's about 300 calories/serving, though I haven't actually worked that out. Makes a lot -- enough for 3 people with stuff left over.
Disaster index: 3
Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes, washed, peeled, chopped
1 block tofu, drained and cut into pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 T. curry paste, (Indian curry paste not Thai)
salt and pepper
2 c. brown rice
5 c. water
some oil and garlic
Methodology
1. Put rice and 4 cups of water in a pot and start that. Do all the chopping.
2. Heat oil and garlic in pan (I use a wok, because that's what I own.) Add the onion and let it cook for a bit, then add in the tofu. After that starts to brown, add the sweet potato and curry paste. Mix. Add one cup of water and cover.
3. Wait, stirring occasionally, until everything is cooked. Add salt and pepper as desired.
4. Eat.
Notes
We bought way too much stuff and actually cut up 4 sweet potatoes and a large onion, so the quantities are approximate. If I'd put in about a tablespoon of brown sugar it would have been better...also might be worth adding a jigger of soy sauce. Still, pretty good. I'd guess with rice it's about 300 calories/serving, though I haven't actually worked that out. Makes a lot -- enough for 3 people with stuff left over.
Disaster index: 3
Fudge
So, life is awful and you're having anxiety attacks all week. What to do?
Make fudge.
Ingredients
1 bag (12 oz) dark/semi-sweet chocolate chips
about 1 cup grated semi-sweet chocolate
1 tin sweetened condensed milk
2 T milk
2 tsp. vanilla
the zest of an orange
a couple tablespoons of Grand Marnier
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. almonds
Cayenne pepper
Methodology
1. Melt chocolate chips over low heat with 2/3 c. condensed milk, 1 T milk, and 1 tsp vanilla. Add the orange zest and liquor. When everything is melted, add the walnuts and remove from heat.
2. Spread on the bottom of a 9" pie pan that you've covered in foil and sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Melt the other chocolate with the rest of the condensed milk. Add the rest of the milk and vanilla. Add almonds and Cayenne pepper to taste.
4. Spread on top of the previous layer of chocolate.
5. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Notes
This was a project Claire and I got into while Daniel was studying for an exam. Because neither of us follows directions well, this didn't come out anything like the way the recipe was. I've tried to reproduce what we actually did as opposed to what it said to do. It was edible though. Actually quite delicious. But it would have been better if we hadn't done pepper on top and orange on the bottom and instead done, oh, cinnamon and pepper, or something like that.
Disaster index: 4 on a scale of 0-7.
Make fudge.
Ingredients
1 bag (12 oz) dark/semi-sweet chocolate chips
about 1 cup grated semi-sweet chocolate
1 tin sweetened condensed milk
2 T milk
2 tsp. vanilla
the zest of an orange
a couple tablespoons of Grand Marnier
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. almonds
Cayenne pepper
Methodology
1. Melt chocolate chips over low heat with 2/3 c. condensed milk, 1 T milk, and 1 tsp vanilla. Add the orange zest and liquor. When everything is melted, add the walnuts and remove from heat.
2. Spread on the bottom of a 9" pie pan that you've covered in foil and sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Melt the other chocolate with the rest of the condensed milk. Add the rest of the milk and vanilla. Add almonds and Cayenne pepper to taste.
4. Spread on top of the previous layer of chocolate.
5. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Notes
This was a project Claire and I got into while Daniel was studying for an exam. Because neither of us follows directions well, this didn't come out anything like the way the recipe was. I've tried to reproduce what we actually did as opposed to what it said to do. It was edible though. Actually quite delicious. But it would have been better if we hadn't done pepper on top and orange on the bottom and instead done, oh, cinnamon and pepper, or something like that.
Disaster index: 4 on a scale of 0-7.
15 December 2007
Brownies
Grand Marnier Brownies with Hard Ganache
(based on another of my mother's recipes)
ingredients
brownies
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/4 c. cake flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 c. water
2/3 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. + 2 T Grand Marnier
1/2 T vanilla
1/2 c. chocolate chips
a pinch of cinnamon
ganache
chocolate chips
cream
Grand Marnier and/or rum
methodology
1. Preheat oven to 350*. Sift dry ingredients (cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, salt) together. Putting the brown sugar through a seive may take a while, but try to get the lumps out.
2. Mix in water and mayonnaise.
3. Mix in Grand Marnier, vanilla, and chips. Add a pinch of cinnamon if you want.
4. Bake in a 9" x 13" pan for 30 minutes. Or in a round 9" cake pan if you're me and that's all you have.
5. Melt the chocolate chips with the cream as in a standard chocolate ganache (most use about 1/2 c. cream and 8 oz chips, but that will be probably more than you want. Remember not to heat it too hot or the chocolate will burn and it will all go to hell). Add some Grand Marnier. Drizzle over cooled brownies. Yay.
Notes
These were fairly successful, both on the giving-baked-goods-to-guys-I-like front and the taking-to-a-karate-party front. They would have been better if I'd used the zest of an orange to emphasize the Grand Marnier.
I've somehow gotten a reputation amongst the karate people as a bit of a baker. Next semester I'll have to come up with something else, lest they think I'm falling down on the job.
(based on another of my mother's recipes)
ingredients
brownies
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/4 c. cake flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 c. water
2/3 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. + 2 T Grand Marnier
1/2 T vanilla
1/2 c. chocolate chips
a pinch of cinnamon
ganache
chocolate chips
cream
Grand Marnier and/or rum
methodology
1. Preheat oven to 350*. Sift dry ingredients (cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, salt) together. Putting the brown sugar through a seive may take a while, but try to get the lumps out.
2. Mix in water and mayonnaise.
3. Mix in Grand Marnier, vanilla, and chips. Add a pinch of cinnamon if you want.
4. Bake in a 9" x 13" pan for 30 minutes. Or in a round 9" cake pan if you're me and that's all you have.
5. Melt the chocolate chips with the cream as in a standard chocolate ganache (most use about 1/2 c. cream and 8 oz chips, but that will be probably more than you want. Remember not to heat it too hot or the chocolate will burn and it will all go to hell). Add some Grand Marnier. Drizzle over cooled brownies. Yay.
Notes
These were fairly successful, both on the giving-baked-goods-to-guys-I-like front and the taking-to-a-karate-party front. They would have been better if I'd used the zest of an orange to emphasize the Grand Marnier.
I've somehow gotten a reputation amongst the karate people as a bit of a baker. Next semester I'll have to come up with something else, lest they think I'm falling down on the job.
09 December 2007
Hundred Dollar Chocolate Cake Cupcakes with Rum Frosting
There's a long story about why this is called "Hundred Dollar Chocolate Cake", but the party I took them to was successful enough that I have a headache now, so I'm not going to type it here. It's similar to this legend about Neiman-Marcus's cookies.
What's more interesting for me, oddly enough, is that this is a WWII era recipe, using mayonnaise instead of eggs because eggs were being rationed. I've never actually tried the recipe with eggs and oil instead of mayo, but I have tried it with canola mayonnaise (vegan stuff without eggs in it) and it came out fine, so this is a recipe that can be veganized pretty easily
Let's see. The goal here was to produce cupcakes for a friend's holiday party. The cake recipe is pretty standard in my family, so I didn't change it much, in a "Why mess with success?" way. The frosting was kind of a trial run though.
Ingredients
Cake
2 c (cake) flour
1 c. (brown) sugar
1.5 tsp baking soda
4 T cocoa powder
1 c. cold water
1 c. mayonnaise (I used "light" because I don't eat the stuff and wanted to give the remainder to Daniel later on. It doesn't make a difference though.)
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 T cinnamon[1]
Frosting
2.66 c. icing sugar (powdered sugar)
5 T margarine
1 t. vanilla
6 T rum (I recommend a fairly top-shelf rum, because you can taste it.)
Methodology
1. Preheat oven to 350*. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and cocoa. If you're using brown sugar (as I was), bear in mind that it's rather difficult to force it through a strainer, so the best you're going to manage is probably to break up the lumps.
2. Beat in the water, mayonnaise, and vanilla. Drop about two tablespoon-fulls per muffin cup (a soup spoon "tablespoon", not a measuring spoon) and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool.
3. Sift powdered sugar into bowl. Add margarine, vanilla, and rum. Mix into paste. Add more sugar and more rum until it reaches the desired consistency.
4. Frost cupcakes and add sprinkles, because who doesn't love sprinkles? Do not lick out the bowl and drive.
Notes
*Makes 18 cupcakes, approximately 80 calories each (frosted, approximately 130).
*As one of the people I forced cupcakes upon pointed out, these came out a little weird. The cake was good, the frosting was good, but they weren't really what people expected. Several people wanted to lick the frosting off and leave the cupcake (they didn't, though). But everyone seemed to enjoy them, including the people I was sort of pitifully trying to impress, and I was pretty intoxicated at that point anyway, so it was okay.
*If the liquor stores had been open when I baked the cookies (around 7h00, because of a 4.5 hour karate workshop taking up the middle chunk of my Saturday), I would have bought the rum and put some in the cupcakes, which might have made them go together better.
*So in total, 4.5/7 on the disaster index. It might be less if I didn't have a headache, but there you go.
[1]Cinnamon is my one addition to the recipe. Omit for a more standard cake.
What's more interesting for me, oddly enough, is that this is a WWII era recipe, using mayonnaise instead of eggs because eggs were being rationed. I've never actually tried the recipe with eggs and oil instead of mayo, but I have tried it with canola mayonnaise (vegan stuff without eggs in it) and it came out fine, so this is a recipe that can be veganized pretty easily
Let's see. The goal here was to produce cupcakes for a friend's holiday party. The cake recipe is pretty standard in my family, so I didn't change it much, in a "Why mess with success?" way. The frosting was kind of a trial run though.
Ingredients
Cake
2 c (cake) flour
1 c. (brown) sugar
1.5 tsp baking soda
4 T cocoa powder
1 c. cold water
1 c. mayonnaise (I used "light" because I don't eat the stuff and wanted to give the remainder to Daniel later on. It doesn't make a difference though.)
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 T cinnamon[1]
Frosting
2.66 c. icing sugar (powdered sugar)
5 T margarine
1 t. vanilla
6 T rum (I recommend a fairly top-shelf rum, because you can taste it.)
Methodology
1. Preheat oven to 350*. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and cocoa. If you're using brown sugar (as I was), bear in mind that it's rather difficult to force it through a strainer, so the best you're going to manage is probably to break up the lumps.
2. Beat in the water, mayonnaise, and vanilla. Drop about two tablespoon-fulls per muffin cup (a soup spoon "tablespoon", not a measuring spoon) and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool.
3. Sift powdered sugar into bowl. Add margarine, vanilla, and rum. Mix into paste. Add more sugar and more rum until it reaches the desired consistency.
4. Frost cupcakes and add sprinkles, because who doesn't love sprinkles? Do not lick out the bowl and drive.
Notes
*Makes 18 cupcakes, approximately 80 calories each (frosted, approximately 130).
*As one of the people I forced cupcakes upon pointed out, these came out a little weird. The cake was good, the frosting was good, but they weren't really what people expected. Several people wanted to lick the frosting off and leave the cupcake (they didn't, though). But everyone seemed to enjoy them, including the people I was sort of pitifully trying to impress, and I was pretty intoxicated at that point anyway, so it was okay.
*If the liquor stores had been open when I baked the cookies (around 7h00, because of a 4.5 hour karate workshop taking up the middle chunk of my Saturday), I would have bought the rum and put some in the cupcakes, which might have made them go together better.
*So in total, 4.5/7 on the disaster index. It might be less if I didn't have a headache, but there you go.
[1]Cinnamon is my one addition to the recipe. Omit for a more standard cake.
06 December 2007
Happy Jewmas!
The comic site seems to be down, so here's today's comic. Hannukah started Tuesday night. (If you're curious, you can also spell it "Channakah". There isn't one correct spelling, because it's not an English word. My favorite spelling has been the slightly more Semitic-looking "Khannikah", but I could get into the Hispanic-inspired "Jannikah" too...)
I think that's it for comments for now.
02 December 2007
Tofu and BaiCai Stir Fry
An unexpected afternoon left to my own devices on a miserable gray day, when my attempts to go for a run have failed and the thought of doing the shopping I'd been planning seems repugnant?
Why not get up to some nonsense in the kitchen? And, while I'm at it, why not cook dinner without curry in it for once?
Napa cabbage is called baicai (白菜) in Chinese, and I like it much more than regular cabbage. I once came across a six foot tall baicai carved out of marble, and I almost bought it and had it shipped home to my parents for the fun of imagining them looking at it and saying to themselves, "What the hell is our daughter getting up to in China?"
This dish might be called "朝豆腐和白菜" in Chinese (Chao Doufu he baicai). Or possibly "烹" (peng) instead of "朝" (chao). It might also be referred to as Vegetarian Singapore Noodles.
Ingredients
1/2 package (4 oz) tofu
1/2 T Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
2 T mushroom stir fry sauce
1 T garlic oil or similar
2 T rice vinegar
2 T dark soy sauce
1 lb napa cabbage (bai cai)
garlic, ginger, chili powder, salt, pepper
4 oz. rice vermicelli
Methodology
1. Mix the chili sauce, mushroom sauce, garlic oil, vinegar, and soy sauce in a bowl. Cut tofu into pieces and mix it in. Cover and leave in fridge for a while. Take a nap, eat some toast, agonize over your novel. Eventually, wander back and hack the cabbage into bits.
2. Put some oil in the wok and heat it, along with some garlic, powdered ginger (or fresh ginger), and chili powder. Take the tofu out using a slotted spoon and put it in the wok (you probably want to keep the heat on medium). Reserve the marinade.
3. When tofu is sufficiently cooked, put it in a bowl and add more oil to the wok, then dump in the cabbage. Be careful, because if you washed the cabbage (and I hope you did) water will cling to the leaves, and water + hot oil = bad stuff. Cook the cabbage until it's wilted, adding salt and pepper, chili powder, etc. to taste.
4. Reintegrate the tofu and cook it along with the cabbage and the extra marinade. Bring some water to a boil and cook the noodles for three or four minutes (until tender), then drain.
5. Remove about 2 servings of tofu-and-baicai, then add the noodles to the remainder. You could just cook a whole bunch of noodles and mix it all, but I wanted to be able to have rice with the leftovers if I took a fancy for it. When everything reaches the same temperature, take it off and eat it.
Makes about three or four servings, about 300-350 calories per serving, depending on size and noodle choice.
Notes
*I was in a hurry and should have put in more ginger. Still, quite good. Pulling the noodles apart was a problem; I got bits of dry rice noodle everywhere. If you finish cooking them much before the stir fry is done, you can put them in cold water to keep them from turning into rice gloop.
*The amount of marinade that I wound up with was enough for probably twice as much tofu (which is how much I figured I'd be cooking when I started making it, appropriately enough). I feel like you shouldn't finish up swimming in marinade, so probably reduce the amounts by a half, except for the mushroom sauce.
*The recipe is very adaptable, and if you have pickled ginger/kimchi/roasted garlic lying around you might want to toss it in to see what happens. Experimentation is of course the great thing about cooking, and the great thing about living on your own is that your mother is never going to walk in and ask you in that certain tone why the kitchen is covered with hot sauce.
At least I am glad no one is going to ask me that. I'm going to go scrub some things down.
Why not get up to some nonsense in the kitchen? And, while I'm at it, why not cook dinner without curry in it for once?
Napa cabbage is called baicai (白菜) in Chinese, and I like it much more than regular cabbage. I once came across a six foot tall baicai carved out of marble, and I almost bought it and had it shipped home to my parents for the fun of imagining them looking at it and saying to themselves, "What the hell is our daughter getting up to in China?"
This dish might be called "朝豆腐和白菜" in Chinese (Chao Doufu he baicai). Or possibly "烹" (peng) instead of "朝" (chao). It might also be referred to as Vegetarian Singapore Noodles.
Ingredients
1/2 package (4 oz) tofu
1/2 T Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
2 T mushroom stir fry sauce
1 T garlic oil or similar
2 T rice vinegar
2 T dark soy sauce
1 lb napa cabbage (bai cai)
garlic, ginger, chili powder, salt, pepper
4 oz. rice vermicelli
Methodology
1. Mix the chili sauce, mushroom sauce, garlic oil, vinegar, and soy sauce in a bowl. Cut tofu into pieces and mix it in. Cover and leave in fridge for a while. Take a nap, eat some toast
2. Put some oil in the wok and heat it, along with some garlic, powdered ginger (or fresh ginger), and chili powder. Take the tofu out using a slotted spoon and put it in the wok (you probably want to keep the heat on medium). Reserve the marinade.
3. When tofu is sufficiently cooked, put it in a bowl and add more oil to the wok, then dump in the cabbage. Be careful, because if you washed the cabbage (and I hope you did) water will cling to the leaves, and water + hot oil = bad stuff. Cook the cabbage until it's wilted, adding salt and pepper, chili powder, etc. to taste.
4. Reintegrate the tofu and cook it along with the cabbage and the extra marinade. Bring some water to a boil and cook the noodles for three or four minutes (until tender), then drain.
5. Remove about 2 servings of tofu-and-baicai, then add the noodles to the remainder. You could just cook a whole bunch of noodles and mix it all, but I wanted to be able to have rice with the leftovers if I took a fancy for it. When everything reaches the same temperature, take it off and eat it.
Makes about three or four servings, about 300-350 calories per serving, depending on size and noodle choice.
Notes
*I was in a hurry and should have put in more ginger. Still, quite good. Pulling the noodles apart was a problem; I got bits of dry rice noodle everywhere. If you finish cooking them much before the stir fry is done, you can put them in cold water to keep them from turning into rice gloop.
*The amount of marinade that I wound up with was enough for probably twice as much tofu (which is how much I figured I'd be cooking when I started making it, appropriately enough). I feel like you shouldn't finish up swimming in marinade, so probably reduce the amounts by a half, except for the mushroom sauce.
*The recipe is very adaptable, and if you have pickled ginger/kimchi/roasted garlic lying around you might want to toss it in to see what happens. Experimentation is of course the great thing about cooking, and the great thing about living on your own is that your mother is never going to walk in and ask you in that certain tone why the kitchen is covered with hot sauce.
At least I am glad no one is going to ask me that. I'm going to go scrub some things down.
01 December 2007
Aztec Cookies
Background
Every year I get this thing I call "Christmas Cookie Rage", defined as the anger you feel when someone guilt trips you into eating one of their cookies which, while pretty, are inevitably lacking in every department except caloric value. This year, I decided to upset the pattern by baking my own cookies (despite not celebrating Christmas and all that). To that end, I polled my friends as to what kind of cookie they wanted.
The answer was fairly unanimous: chocolate chip. Daniel and Claire expressed a clear preference for small, chewy cookies, which I agree with; it is a truth universally acknowledged that if you eat four or five smaller cookies, you're doing a better job of sticking to your diet than if you eat like one really big one. As for the chewy versus crispy problem, I'm equally comfortable with both, though I have a slight preference for crispy (I enjoy a chocolate chip shortbread or biscotti, but I can tell which way the wind is blowing.) The major issue that remained to be addressed was that of sugar: Dan and Claire both prefer something less sweet, while I eat sugar directly from the container[1].
What we needed was a chocolate chip cookie that was both sweet and had a bit of a kick to it.
Ah-ha, sez I.
A couple years ago, I was really into the Aztecs. I studied their myths, knew about their gods, even taught myself Nahuatl. So when I needed chocolate with a kick, I knew exactly where to look.
I used this recipe as a starting point (found by googling for "the best cookies ever"), but as you'll see, the finished product is not really related.
Ingredients
1/2 c. margarine
2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c. cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2.5 tsp ginger
2.5 tsp Cayenne
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
a sprinkling of black pepper and cardamom
Methodology
1. Preheat oven to 375*. Grease cookie sheets.
2. Mix the wet ingredients (margarine, brown sugar, eggs) with a mixer (I broke out the immersion blender again because it is the greatest thing ever). Add the vanilla.
3. Add in the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, spices). I added one cup of flour, then the spices, then the other cup, because I was worried about the spices not getting distributed enough if the batter was too thick, but the batter wasn't too thick.
4. Add the chocolate chips.
5. Make tablespoon-sized cookies on baking sheets about an inch apart and bake for about 6 minutes in the middle of the oven. Let them cool about 2 minutes on the sheet before you remove them to a rack or whatever.
Makes about 41 cookies, at a scant 88 calories/cookie.
Notes
It's hard to balance the spices on this, because everything is less spicy after baking. The batter was almost too spicy, but the cookies are less so. I am taking some over to Dan and Claire tonight and we will see what they think I am pretty happy with the recipe though.
[1] Okay maybe not, because that's kind of gross.
Every year I get this thing I call "Christmas Cookie Rage", defined as the anger you feel when someone guilt trips you into eating one of their cookies which, while pretty, are inevitably lacking in every department except caloric value. This year, I decided to upset the pattern by baking my own cookies (despite not celebrating Christmas and all that). To that end, I polled my friends as to what kind of cookie they wanted.
The answer was fairly unanimous: chocolate chip. Daniel and Claire expressed a clear preference for small, chewy cookies, which I agree with; it is a truth universally acknowledged that if you eat four or five smaller cookies, you're doing a better job of sticking to your diet than if you eat like one really big one. As for the chewy versus crispy problem, I'm equally comfortable with both, though I have a slight preference for crispy (I enjoy a chocolate chip shortbread or biscotti, but I can tell which way the wind is blowing.) The major issue that remained to be addressed was that of sugar: Dan and Claire both prefer something less sweet, while I eat sugar directly from the container[1].
What we needed was a chocolate chip cookie that was both sweet and had a bit of a kick to it.
Ah-ha, sez I.
A couple years ago, I was really into the Aztecs. I studied their myths, knew about their gods, even taught myself Nahuatl. So when I needed chocolate with a kick, I knew exactly where to look.
I used this recipe as a starting point (found by googling for "the best cookies ever"), but as you'll see, the finished product is not really related.
Ingredients
1/2 c. margarine
2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c. cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2.5 tsp ginger
2.5 tsp Cayenne
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
a sprinkling of black pepper and cardamom
Methodology
1. Preheat oven to 375*. Grease cookie sheets.
2. Mix the wet ingredients (margarine, brown sugar, eggs) with a mixer (I broke out the immersion blender again because it is the greatest thing ever). Add the vanilla.
3. Add in the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, spices). I added one cup of flour, then the spices, then the other cup, because I was worried about the spices not getting distributed enough if the batter was too thick, but the batter wasn't too thick.
4. Add the chocolate chips.
5. Make tablespoon-sized cookies on baking sheets about an inch apart and bake for about 6 minutes in the middle of the oven. Let them cool about 2 minutes on the sheet before you remove them to a rack or whatever.
Makes about 41 cookies, at a scant 88 calories/cookie.
Notes
It's hard to balance the spices on this, because everything is less spicy after baking. The batter was almost too spicy, but the cookies are less so. I am taking some over to Dan and Claire tonight and we will see what they think I am pretty happy with the recipe though.
[1] Okay maybe not, because that's kind of gross.
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